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Tomos Williams and Christian Wade star as Gloucester thump Newcastle
By PA
Tomos Williams signed off his final game for Gloucester ahead of the Autumn Nations Series with a virtuoso performance at Kingsholm as his side comfortably beat Newcastle 36-7.
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Gloucester’s starting XV included all five players called up to Warren Gatland’s Wales squad this week, with fly-half Gareth Anscombe back after missing last weekend’s trip to Leicester due to concussion, to join Williams, uncapped lock Freddie Thomas, in-form centre Max Llewellyn and full-back Josh Hathaway in the side.
And the Welshmen were at the forefront of the action as Gloucester scored six tries against basement side Newcastle, dotting down through Jack Clement, Williams, Seb Blake, Jack Singleton, Christian Wade and Hathaway. Anscombe added six points with the boot having been given the kicking duties for the first time this season.
Newcastle had to make do with a consolation try for Jamie Balmire, with replacement Brett Connon adding the conversion.
Gloucester flew out of the blocks with a try after just five minutes as they stretched Newcastle from side to side, with Charlie Atkinson releasing Ollie Thorley down the wing. Patient play eventually saw Singleton put Clement away down the left flank to score.
Anscombe missed the touchline conversion but quickly got some more kicking practice as his compatriot Williams touched down his fourth try of the season after some opportunist play from Wade, who chipped and regathered his own kick before feeding his scrum-half to finish the move under the posts.
Gloucester’s pack had ironed out the creases that had plagued their line-out in recent weeks and used the set-piece to power over for a catch-and-drive try, touched down by Blake who was on the pitch as a blood replacement for Singleton.
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The Cherry and Whites threatened to score several more tries before Llewellyn burst through the midfield to get deep into the opposition’s 22. The ball was worked quickly through the hands for Zach Mercer to put Singleton away down the wing to score in the corner on the stroke of half-time.
Newcastle showed fight in the second half but not a lot of guile. The visitors were unable to score while Anscombe was off the pitch having being shown a yellow card for talking back to referee Ian Tempest, but they finally did when it was 15-on-15, with Balmire taking an offload to crash over.
That sparked the game into life and the hosts scored two quick tries in reply through Wade and Hathaway to run up the score, and in truth they left plenty of points out on the park.
